Smell My Foot!: Chick and Brain

Meet Chick and Brain. And their friend Spot. Chick likes to follow the rules. Brain might not be as smart as he looks. And Spot just wants to eat lunch.

In a graphic reader loaded with verbal and visual humor, Cece Bell offers a comical primer on good manners gone awry. Simple, silly, and perfectly suited for its audience, this tale of Chick and Brain’s constant misunderstandings and miscommunications proves once again that Cece Bell is a master at meeting kids where they are.

Praise & Reviews

Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:

School Library Journal

Bell (El Deafo; I Yam a Donkey!; “Rabbit & Robot”) returns with another story about grammar, miscommunication, and odd couple friends. In this graphic novel send-up of the “Dick and Jane” primers, Brain, clad only in heart-patterned boxers and sporting either an external brain or a gray hairdo that resembles one, is trying to convince a pol Bell (El Deafo; I Yam a Donkey!; “Rabbit & Robot”) returns with another story about grammar, miscommunication, and odd couple friends. In this graphic novel send-up of the “Dick and Jane” primers, Brain, clad only in heart-patterned boxers and sporting either an external brain or a gray hairdo that resembles one, is trying to convince a politeness-obsessed chick to smell his foot. Chick criticizes Brain’s phrasing (“I will not smell your foot until you say PLEASE”) and intelligence (“Brain, you look very smart...But you are not very smart”). This focus on manners at the expense of kindness almost causes Chick to miss out on what turns out to be Brain’s truly alluring foot odor. When Spot the dog wanders by, sniffs Chick’s foot, and invites the oblivious bird to lunch (as the intended main course), Brain comes to Chick’s rescue by knocking Spot out with the aroma from his (apparently stinky) other foot. New readers may be thrown by the beats of Chick and Brain’s dialogue, since the humor relies on unexpected responses (as in the opening exchange: “HELLO, BRAIN.” “Yeah, I know. I am Brain.”) and discussion of conversational norms. However, the short length and engagingly goofy art—reminiscent of James Proimos’s “Johnny Mutton” series—will be a draw for kids who love quirky characters and the amusing premise. Although not as successful as Bell’s best work, and potentially confusing for some new readers, this hilariously wacky tale will resonate with many children.

Horn Book

Gone are the days of Dick and Jane easy readers, with their boring characters and their notably unthreatening dog. Bell’s latest book for emerging readers ushers in Chick and Brain (get it?) and their very hungry new acquaintance, Spot, for a sub-versive lesson in manners and a silly but perilous adventure. Chick, a small yellow birGone are the days of Dick and Jane easy readers, with their boring characters and their notably unthreatening dog. Bell’s latest book for emerging readers ushers in Chick and Brain (get it?) and their very hungry new acquaintance, Spot, for a sub-versive lesson in manners and a silly but perilous adventure. Chick, a small yellow bird, persistently provides etiquette guidance to Brain, a humanlike figure sport-ing boxers and a gumball-machine-shaped exposed cranium, who, Chick says, may not be as smart as he looks. Exhorted to smell Brain’s foot, the ever-proper Chick responds: “Maybe your foot smells good. Maybe your foot smells great. But I will not smell your foot until you say PLEASE.” Coming onto the scene, Spot is much more interested in sniffing Chick’s foot than Brain’s (apparently, it smells like chicken), and an invitation to lunch spells trouble for an unwitting Chick (now who’s not smart?). This easy reader’s panels and word bubbles provide comedic timing while parsing the text into digestible parts, which thoughtfully assists children new to both independent reading and the comics form. Bold out-lines and exaggerated features in the watercolor and ink illustrations accentuate the playful absurdity of the narrative in this four-chapter comedy of errors.